Jack woke slowly and with great difficulty. He couldn’t feel his own body and his brain felt heavy, thinking was difficult. He vaguely heard a regular beeping noise and someone talking, but couldn’t recognize to whom the voice belonged. There was a foul taste in his mouth, which also felt very dry. It seemed to take a very long time to open his eyes, but he finally managed it and found an unfamiliar ceiling in view.

“Jack?”

Turning his head took a lot of effort, but he found Al’s anxious, unshaven face gazing back at him, which made him smile as he rasped, “Al,” barely getting out that short syllable. Just beyond his friend was a lot of monitoring equipment, the sort one found in critical care.

Blatant relief flashed across Al’s face and he shifted to sit on the bed. One of his hands rested on Jack’s chest, but without any pressure or weight to it, as if Al were afraid to touch him. His other hand reached behind Jack to touch something on the wall.

Jack cleared his throat and asked roughly, “Water?”

Al immediately moved to pour a cup of water, which he held to Jack’s mouth, as well as supported Jack’s head from the back to help him drink.

Feeling much better after a few slow sips of the blissfully cool water, Jack asked, “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

Frowning, Jack tried, but came up blank, other than to start up a vague headache. He admitted, “Nothing.”

That anxious expression returned and Al said, “You were in an accident, Jack, a car accident. A bad one.”

The words didn’t bring back anything, so Jack simply asked, “Who else was hurt?”

“Laura and the driver of the van that hit you, but not nearly so bad as you,” Al replied. “You’ve been in a coma for nearly two weeks now.”

Jack blinked at him in astonishment. “Excuse me?”

A tall, thin, dark-haired man he didn’t know entered the room and smiled at him, greeting officiously, “How good of you to rejoin us, Mr. Roper, I’m Dr. Halstead. I’m in charge of your care. How do you feel?”

The light the man flashed in Jack’s eyes made him flinch and close them in self-defense too late; his head began throbbing almost instantly. When he opened them again, it was to glare at the man and retort, “I was fine, now my head hurts.”

“That’s to be expected,” Dr. Halstead told him. “And the rest of you?”

Jack thought about it for a moment and tried moving his arms and legs. A quick glance down at the rest of his body showed his left leg in a massive cast hanging from traction and his left arm in a sling strapped to his body. All of which explained why they wouldn’t move for him, so he let out a short breath, forcing back the panic to think, Look first, don’t panic.

“Mr. Roper?”

Gathering his composure and his thoughts, Jack replied, “Sluggish.”

“Any serious pain?”

“No, just a vague unpleasantness and throbbing all over.”

Dr. Halstead nodded. “Yes, that would be the painkillers. What’s the year, Mr. Roper?”

“2007.”

“How old are you?”

“Forty-five.”

“And the Prime Minister?”

“Tony Blair.”

“Well. As you are conscious and cognitive, I believe we can move you from critical care. Mr. Ware, do go home and shower. I am banning you for no less than twenty-four hours to start no later than after Mr. Roper has been settled in his new room. Am I understood?”

Al gave Jack a sheepish look and nodded at the doctor. “Yes, Doctor. Thank you.”

Looking somewhat amused, Dr. Halstead informed Jack, “You have quite the vocal and insistent partner, Mr. Roper. I will check in on you later. Good day, gentlemen.”

Jack glanced at Al and questioned, “What was that about?”

“Nothing, he’s exaggerating,” Al replied, standing.

A yawn overcame Jack and he used his good hand to rub his eyes. “You said Laura was injured and another driver? How are they?”

Al sighed and then answered, “Fine, Jack, it was really just you. Laura took the corner without stopping, so the van crashed into your side. They had to, to cut you out, the car was so badly smashed. I heard the crash from the office. Laura came out of it with a concussion and the other driver a broken foot.”

Jack relaxed on finding out that no one else had been seriously hurt. He yawned again, his eyelids dragging down with exhaustion from even such a short time awake.

Al gripped his shoulder briefly, dark eyes warm and still a bit worried, and ordered, “Get some sleep, Jack. You need it.”

Quirking a grin at his friend, Jack pointed out, “I’ve been sleeping for two weeks, apparently. You’re the one who looks like he’s been on the streets for a month. You haven’t been camped out here the whole two weeks, have you?”

Al shrugged and said, “Time enough to rest when I knew you’d be all right.”

Not for the first time, Jack wondered just how he’d gotten lucky enough to have such a stalwart friend. Al had put up with a lot of crap from him over the years, most especially recently; anyone else would have headed for the hills long ago. He reached out and caught Al’s hand with his, squeezing it and telling him, “Thank you.”

Al didn’t try to deflect it, as many men would have. He simply replied, “You’re welcome.”

Nurses entered then and the next twenty minutes was spent moving Jack’s bed down the hall, up a floor in the lift, and into another room. Al hovered right beside him the whole trip and, once the bed was secured, Jack ordered, “Go home, Al. Get some sleep and a shower.”

Al nodded and then hesitated before darting in to kiss Jack on the briefly on the mouth. He said, “I’m so glad you’re awake, Jack,” and then left before Jack could respond.

Even if he hadn’t been befuddled by his head injury, astonishment would have rendered Jack silent. It was the first time in their long friendship that Al had kissed him. It wasn’t as if the other man being gay had ever made Jack uncomfortable, but Al seemed to have a boundary with his straight male friends that he didn’t cross and that included kisses of any sort.

Smiling, Jack didn’t bother to analyze the feelings that should probably be dissected at great length. He instead let himself relax into the pillows and closed his eyes, drugs and waves of exhaustion pulling him back down into darkness.

* * * *

Laura strode down the hall, excitement and anticipation warring with apprehension and guilt at the news that Jack had finally woken. She’d been furious the last time they’d spoken, driven down the street at a mad speed with a carelessness that had resulted in his coma and her loss of license. A small price to pay given the severity of the damage and injuries all around, and one she paid willingly.

When she’d woken in the hospital a couple of hours after the accident, Jack had been in the first of his five surgeries and her parents had been at her bedside. A private conversation with her mother had blown all her anger out of the water, the revelation that it was not Jack, but Frank, that her mother had had her recent affair with dashing like cold water down her spine. That, of course, had been nothing compared to finding out that Jack could die on the operating table.

It had almost been worse when none of their friends had blamed her for the accident. They’d all been exceedingly sympathetic with her pathetic explanation for why, making her feel horrible. The only one who had reproached her had been Al, and that had only been with his dark, sad eyes, not words. She’d possibly taken away his best friend, the one who’d saved him from prison almost at the expense of his own freedom not even a month before.

Laura stopped in surprise at finding Al sitting on the floor, his back to the wall and his face hidden by arms over his head. No one seemed to take any notice of him, going about their business as he shook visibly. Probably they thought someone he knew had died and didn’t want to intrude on grief. She stopped beside him, crouching down to put a hand on his shoulder and ask softly, “Al? Are you all right?”

His eyes were damp when he looked up at her, but his cheeks were dry. His hand dashed at his eyes anyhow and he cleared his throat before answering, “Fine. Just…a bit of delayed reaction, I think.”

It wasn’t a large surprise, given how steadfast Al had been in his refusal to believe the doctors’ prognoses. Three of the four had considered Jack hopeless and the fourth hadn’t been at all optimistic, even should Jack regain consciousness. Al had simply held his ground and bedeviled the health departments for the best possible care, night and day. She didn’t know if he’d even slept more than a few hours at a time, these last couple of weeks.

Rubbing his shoulder, she said, “You should go home and sleep, Al, you need it.”

“I will,” he promised, “as soon as my legs work.”

“Here, let me help you to a chair, at least.”

He looked as if he wanted to protest, but accepted her hand up and assistance to a nearby chair. Al offered a wan smile and said, “Thank you, Laura.”

“Would you like something to eat? I’ll go get you something,” she suggested. “Your blood sugar’s probably low.”

Al shook his head at that, though, and replied, “No, I’ll just take a few minutes here and be on my way. Probably sleep for a week.”

Laura nodded, rubbing his shoulder again. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will.”

Laura hesitated, but there wasn’t anything else she could think of to do or say. She left him to walk three more doors down and enter Jack’s new room. It was a far cry from the one with all the life monitoring equipment, though the traction device was still in place for his leg. The cast ran from hip to his ankle and would be in place for another month at the least and months after that of physical therapy. Annie had cried on seeing it, assuming the worst until Charlie had held her and promised that Jack wasn’t paralyzed. Not that they’d actually known that at the time, but no one had gainsaid him.

A relieved smile curved her lips when Laura spotted the perpetual frown on Jack’s face, confirming that he’d been awake. Jack had more demons than anyone she knew and while she didn’t wish them on him, the distinct lack of a drawn brow, the vacant expression he had while he’d been in the coma had been scary. She knew that she didn’t have a lot of time before the others showed up and so leaned against the bed, taking Jack’s hand in hers.

It was a few minutes before Jack’s pale eyes fluttered open and focused on her. He smiled and said softly, “Laura.”

There was such a lack of wariness in his gaze that she was completely disarmed, words deserting her.

“Y’look tired,” he observed, his Scots accent more pronounced. “Not sleeping?”

She kissed the back of his hand and replied, “Some. More than Al, at least.”

Which didn’t seem right to her, but the doctors would only allow the emergency contact in, outside of visiting hours. That Al was Jack’s hadn’t surprised her; they’d been friends far longer than she and Jack had been involved.

Jack’s mouth twitched into a brief grin and he agreed, “He looked a bit ripe, yeah. How are you?”

“Me? Jack, you’re the one who’s been in a coma,” she countered incredulously. “And it’s all my fault.”

Waving a dismissive hand at her, Jack said, “We all have bad days. I’m sure you were upset about something, I know you’re a good driver otherwise.”

Her eyebrows lifted and she asked, “You don’t know why?”

Jack shook his head. “Can’t remember a thing. Last I do remember, you were angry with me for something, but wouldn’t say what.”

She sighed, but admitted, “I thought you were having another affair with my mother.”

His lips pursed and then he repeated carefully, “Another?”

“I overheard Al yelling at you,” Laura explained.

Jack winced, blue eyes flickering away before returning to look at her as he said, “I’m sorry, Laura. It was a very long time ago and a mistake. One we never repeated.”

Laura nodded and confirmed, “So both Al and my mother informed me.”

“So we’re all right?” Jack asked hesitantly.

Smiling, Laura nodded again. “We’re fine. I think putting you in a coma for a couple of weeks actually tips the scales your way.”

He chuckled, a warm, rusty sound that made her smile further. And then he yawned hugely, apologizing through it, “Sorry, can’t seem to keep my eyes open.”

Laura brushed her fingers through his hair, now a bit longer than he generally kept it, and told him, “Sleep if you want. I’m not going anywhere until they throw me out.”

Jack took her at her word, his eyes drifting shut and his breathing evening out almost instantly.

Watching him sleep for the second time, she couldn’t help comparing it to the other time, in her bed, in the dark of morning. Even then, that frown of his had remained in place, as if his too-intelligent brain and tortured soul were competing for dominance in his dreams. Perhaps they did. It pained her that she couldn’t seem to soothe them away, but she counseled herself with patience. They hadn’t been together long, after all.

“Is he sleeping or still under? Al said he was awake,” Charlie’s stage whisper came from behind.

Laura half-turned to find Charlie and Annie standing in the doorway, his hand on her shoulder. That was a development no one had seen coming. Or maybe she just hadn’t. Everyone knew about their affair, but it hadn’t affected Charlie’s marriage, just Annie’s. Jack’s accident had thrown Charlie and Annie together in a way that they wouldn’t have, had the dire circumstances not excluded his wife so thoroughly. They’d all come together in the uncertainty of Jack’s prognosis, but Annie and Charlie had been inseparable.

Laura smiled and answered, “He’s sleeping. Just nodded off.”

“‘M’awake,” Jack mumbled.

Charlie and Annie hurried forward, smiles on both their faces. Beaming, Charlie told him, “Signed your cast already, Jack. First one.”

Jack grinned a bit, his gaze lingering shortly on the location of Charlie’s hand. “Cheers. And what’s goin’ on here, then?”

Annie and Charlie exchanged a look before she admitted, “We’re making a go of it, Jack. But don’t worry, I’ll still wipe the floor with him in court. Personal won’t interfere with professional.”

“Excuse me!” Charlie mock protested.

Jack chuckled, though the lines in his face seemed more pronounced at their revelation. Probably because of the dissolution of Charlie’s marriage, Laura silently guessed. She knew how much he liked Tess, how much he’d been hoping they would make it, despite the affair. They’d all hoped for that; Tess was a lovely woman.

Annie asked, “How do you feel?”

Jack thought about it, then answered, “Muted, is a good word. Sore. A bit fuzzy.”

Charlie opined, “All far better than the odds they were giving you. I knew I should have taken that bet.”

Jack’s eyelids drooped before he rallied, “Aye, y’should’ve. Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“We should go,” Annie said. “Let you sleep. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

Charlie nodded agreement. “Good idea. We’ll see you later, Jack.”

Jack smiled at them and nodded, his eyes already closing.

“I’m so glad he’s going to be all right,” Annie murmured, leaning against Charlie.

His arm went around her waist and Charlie replied, “Me, too. You staying, Laura? Or can we give you a lift?”

Laura smiled and said, “I’m staying until visiting hours are over.”

They exchanged goodbyes and then she was alone with Jack again. He was always so full of passion and intensity that it was difficult to see him so still, but far better than the alternative. Guilt ran through her as she thought about just how easily she could have gotten him killed. As it was, he was missing a kidney and part of his liver now. He would be months recovering.

The time passed slowly with nothing to occupy her thoughts, but she didn’t want to leave, either. It felt good to hold his hand and watch him breathe. She soaked in their time alone like a sponge, saving it up for the next time, which might not be for a couple of days, depending on court. Life had gone on while Jack was in hospital, after all. They could afford Al’s disappearance, but not Laura’s if they wanted income to keep coming in. That still bothered her, as if Al had more right to be at Jack’s side than she did, but it was done now and no getting it back.

A nurse came in at last to send her home and Laura kissed Jack gently on the mouth before leaving. She smiled at the other woman and got a frown in return. “It’s all right, we’re involved.”

That only increased the nurse’s frown. “I thought he and Mr. Wales were partners.”

“They are, but not like that,” Laura clarified. “Law partners. In business together.”

The nurse’s gaze was plainly skeptical, but she merely nodded and went about her business of taking Jack’s vitals.

Laura left the room with her own frown in place, her mostly good mood ruined by a stranger’s assumption.

* * * *

Al made it a couple of meters from Jack’s room before his legs collapsed under him. His entire body shook from a combination of relief, exhaustion, and delayed fear that he’d refused to let himself feel while Jack had been unconscious. He’d severely repressed any hint of a thought or feeling that Jack wouldn’t wake up, wouldn’t come back to him. Al had only allowed himself to think and plan for what would happen when Jack woke up.

He’d talked to Jack for hours about physical therapy and regimens designed just for his injuries, often reading directly from borrowed medical books. Then there’d been the hours reading from the classics that he knew Jack loved; the tragedies the Scot appreciated best.

The last two weeks had been a worse hell than Steven’s death, the uncertainty and despair eating at him in a way that Al had never anticipated. In the quiet of the night with only the pinging of electronics to tell him that Jack was alive, sometimes the rise and fall of the slight man’s chest impossible to make out, Al had thought he might go mad.

The worst had been the day of the accident, standing helplessly on the sidelines while emergency workers cut through metal to get Jack out of the crushed car. Jack’s body had been bloody, bruised, and limp, hanging unresponsive in the workers’ arms as they transferred him to a backboard and then the waiting ambulance. The whole office had been there, even Joe, and they’d waited together as the man who’d led them for so long was rescued from death and rushed to the hospital.

It had been something of a surprise that Joe had had more staying power than Laura in the hospital waiting area, but only until he’d really thought about it. Joe and Jack had a love-hate relationship much like Jack and Lawrence; student to mentor, admirer to betrayed. Joe had sat with him through all of the surgeries, while the others had come and gone. If nothing else, Al would be able to tell Jack how much Joe cared for him, that his short time in chambers hadn’t been an act. That would be a balm to Jack’s tattered pride in that regard, at least.

“Al? Are you all right?”

Al glanced up at Laura’s gentle question and wiped quickly at his eyes. The resulting conversation went about as expected and he had to remind himself that he had no business feeling the way that he did. Laura and Jack were together, even if they weren’t quite on the rails just yet. It had been a long time building and Al knew better than to get in the way. Jack deserved a chance at happiness more than anyone he knew.

By the time he’d regained the use of his legs, Annie and Charlie stepped off the elevator, almost knocking into him.

“Al, you look terrible!” Annie exclaimed. “I hope you’re finally going home?”

He smiled at her and nodded. “I am.”

Charlie gave him a doubtful look before cautioning, “Don’t drive. Take a taxi.”

Al half-smiled at that and promised, “I will. Have a good visit.”

He stepped onto the elevator as they headed down the hall towards Jack’s room. The trip home was a blur. He barely saw the apartment as he walked directly upstairs to use the bathroom and then collapsed into bed. Even in his new apartment it was eerily reminiscent of the night that Steven had died. Thankfully, Al was too exhausted to think of that until he woke up the following morning.

Feeling much better for the twelve hours of sleep, Al slowly climbed out of the bed and returned to the bathroom. He took a long, hot shower, scrubbing away two weeks of anxiety and fear and uncertainty. Then he shaved carefully and went downstairs to make breakfast, his stomach rumbling angrily. He made a fruit salad and forced himself to eat slowly, letting it digest so he didn’t make himself sick. He was lucky that Annie had gone shopping for him a few days before or there wouldn’t be anything to eat at all.

He dressed casually in jeans and t-shirt before heading back to the hospital; he would stop in the office on Saturday to sort out the mess everyone had likely made of things. For today, he just wanted to spend time with a conscious Jack. He stopped for a coffee and felt nearly human once he’d finished it, the caffeine waking him the rest of the way. When he got there, it was to find Laura already there and Jack awake, if looking tired.

Blue eyes met his and Jack’s smile grew as he greeted, “Al! You look much better, come and join us.”

The ‘us’ hurt, but Al ignored it and smiled in return. “I should say the same of you. Awake and alert at last.”

“Did you bring coffee?” Jack asked hopefully.

Al shook his head and replied, “Not until they say you can have some.”

Rolling his eyes a bit, Jack said, “It’s not going to hurt me. It’ll wake me up so I can think properly.”

Laura jumped in with, “If the doctors say no, then you’ll just have to wait. And now that Al’s here, I’ll be off.”

Jack accepted her kiss and smiled at her before saying, “Good luck.”

“I would say I don’t need it because I have Charlie, but he’s not you,” she teased and then left with a brief touch to Al’s shoulder.

Al settled in her place and asked, “So really, how do you feel?”

The mask that he’d suspected was in place dropped away like so much spider-silk. Pain etched immediately into Jack’s face and he leaned back against the pillows with a long, slow sigh. Jack finally admitted in a shaky voice, “It hurts, Al, all over. My body feels like someone took a pipe to it.”

Humor quirked through Al as he pointed out, “You’d know.”

Jack snorted and then groaned. “Please don’t make me laugh.”

“Sorry,” Al murmured, shifting from chair to bedside. “Here, look at me.”

Jack’s eyes opened to lock on his and they were foggy with pain.

Al rested his hand lightly on Jack’s shoulder and he said, “I’m going to have them increase your pain medication.”

“No, Al, I don’t want to be that fuzzy again,” Jack protested. “It’s so difficult to think.”

Al brushed fingers over Jack’s forehead and told him, “You don’t need to think just yet, Jack, just to heal and you can’t do that right if you’re tense with pain. Let me take care of you a while longer, all right? Trust me.”

Jack smiled briefly and said, “You know I do.”

“Good. Then be quiet and let medicine do its job,” Al soothed.

Nodding, Jack acquiesced, “All right. I’m at your mercy.”

Words he would have loved to hear under vastly difference circumstances. Al summoned the nurse with the call button and explained that Jack was in pain and she adjusted the drip line until Jack sighed and his tight expression eased. Al signaled that that was good and she nodded before leaving.

Opening his eyes again, Jack grinned at him, loopy, and said, “You’re a miracle worker, Al, I’ve always said so.”

Al chuckled and cupped his face briefly before replying, “Then you should give me a raise. Get some sleep, Jack, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Cheers,” Jack slurred before his eyes closed.

Smiling to himself, Al settled back into the chair to wait.

* * * *

Al was still there when a nurse woke Jack sometime later, but he was reading a book so Jack just watched him for a minute. The dark circles under his eyes matched the new thinness of his face, as if he’d lost a good half a stone’s weight in the last two weeks. He was clean and shaved, at least, and did look better for a good night’s sleep.

Noticing the change, maybe, Al glanced over at him and smiled. “Awake, are you?”

“Barely,” Jack complained, still feeling lethargic, even as he was glad to be mostly pain-free. “You look better.”

Al nodded and said, “I am, thanks. Thought I’d stick around and keep you company for today, catch you up on things if you want.”

Jack half-smiled and commented, “If there’s anything more to do with Charlie and Annie, I’d rather not know.”

“Well, they’re set on a course, that’s for sure,” Al agreed. “But I was talking about the office. Business picked up while you were out. I need to go over accounts to put things in order and get specifics, but we’ve been very busy, from what Laura’s been telling me.”

Snorting, Jack told him, “The coma was good for something, then.”

Al chuckled, a wry sound, and said, “Looks like. You know, Joe was with me the whole way right after the accident, even more than any of the others.”

The arbitrary announcement surprised Jack and he frowned at Al, not sure how to take it.

Al continued before Jack could respond, “He cares deeply for you, Jack. I really just think that he’s angry with you about how things went down. You should give him another chance.”

“He’s the one who left,” Jack countered.

With a shrug, Al pointed out, “You didn’t leave him much choice.”

Dr. Halstead came in just then, putting the argument on hold, and greeted, “Afternoon, gentlemen. Al, I need to bring Jack out for some more tests to make sure everything’s going as well as it seems on first blush. The last round, I believe, as you’re well on your way now.”

Standing, Al briefly gripped Jack’s shoulder and said, “I’ll see you in a couple of days, then. I’m heading into Chambers tomorrow to sort things out.”

Wishing the other man didn’t have to go, Jack nonetheless nodded and replied, “I’ll see you then.”

Once Al had left, Dr. Halstead told him, “It’s going to be a long road to recovery, but I’ve heard you’re stubborn enough to get the best possible results.”

Jack chuckled tiredly and agreed, “I am, at that.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Dr. Halstead said, smiling. “Now then. The nurse will be in directly and I’ll see you after to go over the results.”

Alone in the room, Jack’s mind drifted between thoughts of work, his new relationship with Laura, Annie and Charlie getting together, and what Al had said about Joe. A couple of nurses came in and they carefully shifted him to a gurney, supporting his leg and arm, and then pushed him down the hall. There were x-rays, an MRI, and CAT scan to be gone through and a lot of just waiting in the hall with nothing to do. The hospital was just as busy as the courthouse and on a perpetual basis, too.

By the time everything was done, he was just as tired and achy as when he’d first woken up, barely able to keep his eyes open and wishing for more painkillers. Charlie waited in his room, a welcome surprise, and Jack smiled in greeting.

“You look awful, Jack, what’ve they been doing?” Charlie demanded.

Jack grimaced in pain as the nurses moved him back into bed and repositioned his leg. It took a few minutes to catch his breath and by then, one of the nurses had upped his pain medicine. He sighed in relief and closed his eyes before remembering that Charlie was in the room and opened them again. Focusing on his friend, Jack belatedly answered, “It was just testing, Charlie, I’m fine.”

Charlie scowled, but only said, “I’ll be checking with the doctor, be sure of that.”

Waving it off, hoping the other man would let it drop, Jack changed the subject by asking, “So, you and Annie? What’s going on with Tess, then?”

Charlie winced as he sat in the chair by the bed and replied, “I’ll take good care of her, Jack. She can have whatever she wants, as this is entirely my fault.”

Jack reached out to grasp Charlie’s forearm and questioned, “Are you sure, Charlie? Really sure? About Annie?”

A helpless sort of smile surfaced on Charlie’s rounded face and he nodded, looking thoroughly besotted as he confirmed. “I am, Jack. She’s the one.”

Having remembered when Charlie said the same thing about Tess, Jack only said, “Then I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Mr. Darling? I’m afraid visiting hours are over,” a nurse announced, poking her head in.

Charlie stood and said to Jack, “I’ll pop in tomorrow with Annie, if you think you’re up to it?”

Jack nodded, even as tired as he was. “Do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Stop into Chambers tomorrow and check on Al? I don’t like that he hasn’t been taking care of himself.”

Charlie nodded and promised, “I will. You rest up.”

Jack watched him go and then allowed himself to sink back into the pillows. Most of him chafed at how little strength he had, wanting to get back to work. His mind continued to poke at all the disastrous facets of his life, even if his body didn’t have the strength to even get to the bathroom on his own.

It was going to be a long road back to recovery, of that, Jack had no doubt.